Apparatus for indicating quantities, numbers, and the like



Sept. 18, 1923. 1,468,235 v A. P. JAPY APPARATUS FOR INDICATING QUANTITIES, NUMBERS, AND THE LIKE Filed Sent. 1, 1921 (l A :K 1 6/ d Iwrowfor';

A. Paul Jopy Morwa Patented Sept. 18, 1923 citizen of the Republic of Fra'nce,

tree; is t ir-ES ass ss- RANGE".

APPARATUS roe IliTDICATING QUANTITIES,-1\TUIv/IBERS, Anni sensitize,

Application-fliedSeptember 1, 1921 j SerialNo. 497,774.

(GRJAIYTTED UNDERTHE Revisions or Tanner or Manon 3,1921,41Sf1f1AT.L.,13131) T 0' all whom it may concern: p 7

Be it known that I, ALRERT PAUL JAPY, residing at Berne, near Seloncourt, 'Doubs, France, have invented new and useful "Improvements in Apparatus for indicating Quantities, Numbers, and the like, (for which I have filed application in England,FDec. 23, 1919,

Patent No. 151,870, and inFranoe, Dec. 15,

lowing is a specification;

This invention has for its ob'jectto provide apparatus for expressing the absolute value of a number by the amount by which an in 1919, Patent No. 523,031"), of which the $01- dicator is separated -i'roInaiiXed point taken as the-origin, and also for expressing the relative value ofthis num'ber compared with another chosen number. by the amount by which the-said indicator isseparated from a markor number. 7 v

' Such apparatus can be so cons'tructe'd that the two amounts mention'ed'above, that is to saythe amountfwhioh separates the indicator from the origin and the amount which separates the indicator from the mark or pointer'can be observed as surfaces, angles, lengths or in anyother desired manner.

' Intact, the apparatus according to the present invention-replaces the reading of figures forming 'a number, by {the pl'iysical impression left on the b'rain by' the vision of surfaces, .angles or lengths and it also replaces, by means {of this same 'phyisca'l impression, the work that the brain has "to perform in comparing two numbers expressed in figures. V I V "The apparatus in question allows, by a simple, rapid glance at the position occupied by the indicator, the-immediate understanding ofboth values'the absolutea'n'd-therelative, ofth'e number'oonsidered,

'B'y usinganapparatus'of this-kind for each of the pa 'tioularelements Whiclrar'e of interest in a {business (statistics "accountaney, "output, for-'Ie'xample) an'd'igrou-ping them 'on a table, a centralizationFof all the information which may be ofuse-to a director of a business, a manager of '-a' compa'ny, a 'manufacturer, a 'merchant, tained Without the necessity*offreading figures and thecomparison of numbers ex pressedin figures.

pointer*corresponding'to thechosen' can ab e -o'b-1 To enable the inventionto be fully understood' it will new be described by reference tothe accompanying drawings in whieli *one' suitablejconstruction according to themvention isillustrated by Way of example. In the drawings Fig; l is a sectional elevation on the line I-I Fig."2o'f-an apparatus constructed cording to the invention, and Figi 2 isa plan view thereof.

ig. '3 is a sectional side modified form of the invention.

Fig. {l is an elevation 'of the back (if the apparatus in section on the line IV- Fig. 3 shewing the construction offthebrake or looking arrangement "mentioned ;pre-

viously.

Similar reference numerals and letters tlenote the same parts in "both figures of the drawings."

The apparatus comprises a disc 1-, split-ato along-one of its radii and having acir cula'r opening 2 at its-centre; This disc is mounted on a suitablesupport 3; 'ha'ving a spiral groove 4 in Which the outer edge of the said disc' -is secured, the disc thus being -s'ta tionary. 1 Another disc ;5 'of "smaller elevation of a I diameter split at. 2' along one of its *radii and having a ciri cular opening at itscentre is secured by fixing the edge of this opening in a spiral grooveio formed on the surface of a button 7 rotatably' mountetl on a "pin 8 secured'to the su'pport 3f I VVith this arrangement it' will be seen that ifthe button? is turned inthe directio'nof the arrow (Fig, 2) it will carry the disc 5 Withit, said d-is'clmoving in front-of the surface of the disc 1,startingfromtheradial split in this latter'disc. 'Ihe-edge z corresponding to the radial split in the disc 5,

approaches the edge 0 corresponding to the split in-the disc lr z thuso the wholeof the iso'5 maybe turned infrontof the "disc 1', at

coincide. v

On the otherhand, if the button "7 is which point tivo edges '2' and 0' will turned- ,in the directionindica ted by tfhef arrowI' tZ-(Fig. 2) th'e edge moves away from'theedge 0 and' the surface o f the-disc 1'; covered by the disc decreases-until when theedges z and oicoinc'ide the surface is completelyainco'vered; I

j" The-edgeo forms-the Origin 'and-the edged the mdi'cato'r hereln- 'before ment1'oned"; the

' and this annulus may be graduated as shewn disc 1 a visible annulus will always remain between the outer edges of the two discs,

in Fig. 2. p

In this manner, after having ascertained by the value of the annular surf-ace between the origin 0 and the indicator 2', the size of the number corresponding to the position of the said indicator, the exact numerical value of the number may by reading on the graduated annulus. In the example illustrated this value isequal to 6.4.

The apparatus is also provided with an outer ring or circle, 9, rotatably mounted on the support 3 and having a pointer 7" which can thus be moved round to any number indicated on the afore mentioned graduation or scale on the visible annulus.

I This pointer r represents the mark or pointer hereinbefore mentioned and its position corresponds to the normalvalue of the unit of statistics, accountancy or the like for which the apparatus is set. In the example shown in Fig. 2 its normal value is 5.4. r

It will thus be seen that by simply glancing at the apparatus it can be estimated that the actual value of the unit considered is greater than its normal value and if it is deslred to fix exactly upon the value of the corresponding amount on looking at the graduations on the disc 1 it will be seen that thi amount is equal to. one unit.

It is important to mention that the herein describedapparatus is only one example for indicating the manner of carrying out the invention. 7 3

It has been clearly specified at the beginning of the description that the-two amounts which express respectively the absolute value f a number and relative value of this latter with regard to another number, that is to say the space between the indicator i and the origin 0 on'the one hand, and the space between the indicator i and the pointer r on the other hand can be observed in the form of surfaces, angles, lengths or any other desired form.

Theexample illustrated in thedrawing is a surfacev observation. In this form the helical discs can be. replaced by fiat plates. In this case the disc 1 will have an open ing extending over half its surface and the disc 3 will partially close up this opening to .an amount proportional to the value of the number to be expressed. One of the for its object to dispense wi be obtained support, the two form the disks sliding the one upon the i the fixed disc 1 itself as has also been'de circular edges ofthe opening will be suitably graduated, the pointer r being arranged in front of same.- 7 j The construction according to Fig. 3 has th the aforesaid Q axis 8 of Figs. 1 'and 2, by utilizing the fixed dial Z as a support for the button 7 and also for the'movable dial 5. 7

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings it will be seen that to' obtain this result, the button? is provided with a second spiral groove 1) in which the fixed disc'l is engaged by the ,edgec of its central opening. The discl is always fixed to the support 3 and thus serves as a support for the mov- 3 able disc 5 through the interposition of the button 7. 4, f

It is necessary to remember that the groove 6 which serves to :hold the movabl disc is not indispensableand the said disc may be fixed to the button 7 by any other suitable means. 7 1 if Similarly the spiral groove 7) may be dispensed with by making the cylindrical-part of the button 7 of a diameter equal to that of the central opening of the. disc 1. In this case the movable disk is supported and guided by the disk which is fixed to the flattened helices which 5 other. i v I Finally the construction of the warning look before mentioned is shewn in Fig.4. a

In this figure'l represents the fixed disc mounted as above described, '8 the support for this disc in the form of a cup. the side wall being shewn in section, the said sup port receiving also the movable ring 9 the back edge of which is clearly shewn on the drawing. 5 represents the movable or visible disc. .7 represents the operating button on which the movable disc 5 is mounted. This button may be supported by a special axis as has been'previously described or by ion scribed, the disc being then suitably shaped for this purpose.

I The warning brake or'lock may be very simply constructed as follows:-' I

The back of the movable disc 5 r is pro- 116 vided with anumberofnotches, teethor def;-. ormations of anykind which may be in the form of a notchedplatef. Thisplatefcd operates with a tooth vorproiection g, car-1 ri ed on a spring blade? 7:, secured at j either 129 to the fixed' disc 1, as here shewn, or to a suitable part of thev cup'S which supports the fixed disc. 5

With thisconst ructionit will be seenthat. the action of the projection g on the notched plate 7 opposesa slight-resistance to the rot-ationof the movableiorvisible disc 5, con:- stituting, the locking or braking action re.-

ferred to 1n the opening portionof this movements of the thespring [L which causes the apparatus to tion of this disc produces series of rapid projection 9 carried by resemble a rattle producing the characteristic noise of this well known instrument.

It is necessary to remark that 'th'e rapid movements ofthe spring 'blade hsproduced as described may be used tooperate an acoustic signal such asa drum for examples Moreover the spring it 15 not indispensable for producing this Warning brake. It is suflicientin practice to form a projectionon the back of the fixed disc 1 by cuttingout or embossing, similar to. the projection g in such a manner that it contacts With the back of the notches f of disc 5, the back of the disc, owing to the thinness of the metal being notched to the same extent as the front thereof.

Having now particularly described and V illustrated the nature ofmy invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is Apparatus for the purposes described comprising a casing, a fixed disc, a movable disc of less diameter than said fixed disc,

and a pointer adapted to be set to any particular 7 point Jon ,the circumference i of the.

fixed disc, the' tWodiscs eachhaving a ra'f tral opening, the p dial slit and a circular cen the slit on the fixed in the movable disc representing the'value of the number, the comparativefvalue thereof beingfgiven the sp'acjebetween the slit V on the movable disc'and the pointer set to; a particular point on the fixed disc, and an operating buttonfor the movable disc, sup

ported by the central opening of the fixeddisc, the fixed disc being 'in' turn supported by its outer edge by the casing, the movable disc being mountedon said button by the edge of its central opening in any suitable manner. T

In testimony whereof I have signed my hand to this descrlption in presence'of two 7 witnesses,

Witnesses 1 Jones FAYOLLET, 'PIERRE LoYER.

A. PAUL APY." 

